Its really important to have a goal with anything you do in life. As Dr. Eric talked about during the time management/stress talk, goals help guide everything we do. So having a goal in this diet is really important. My goals for the first straight 60 were to stay strict to the diet for the full 60 days and drop weight as much as I could. Having those goals really helped keep me on the right path. This time around my goal has been to drop below 200 lbs. This shouldn’t have been a very difficult goal to achieve, when looking back at how the first 60 went. Its proved to be more difficult than expected. Not being strict has definitely played a role in that, and I think there are also some mental/emotional things holding me back.

The end of this straight 60 is approaching, and some of you may be in the same boat as me, having a goal that you haven’t reached yet. This can be very discouraging, especially when you thought you should have made it there by now. In these circumstances goals can be scary. For me, its been crucial to always be looking at the success I’ve accomplished already, even though its still fallen short of my goal. This is huge for those of you in a similar situation as me (being over-weight for years without any success dropping that weight).

So what are those successes I look for? Some are pretty simple things, like eating a salad on a regular basis, avoiding omitted foods in a social setting, or successfully eating out. Those are pretty small things, but worth patting yourself on the back for because, to be honest, they are things that simply would not have happened with the old me. There are also bigger, more noticeable accomplishments, mainly when it comes to my clothes. Before I was wearing a size 38 waist, and it was tight. Now I’m pretty comfortable in a 36. Shirts, the same thing, all my size large shirts are fitting again. I mentioned in a previous post that before this I was using the last hole on my belt, and even that was a squeeze. I told you when I went to the second hole a while back. Well just this past week I went to the 5th hole (granted it was pretty tight and I moved it to the more comfortable 4th hole). The fact that I could even get to that hole is pretty amazing.

So I haven’t reached my goal yet, which could be depressing if I let it, but when I look at what I have achieved its not depressing at all. Its pretty uplifting actually. I just need to stay on this path, and make sure I am heading in the right direction toward my goal still. This makes the goal crucial. Without it (if I don’t make it there after the straight 60) I would just be done after next week. The goal is what will keep me heading the right direction, and when I reach that goal it’ll be time for a new one.

This past week I stayed at the same weight, 202 lbs. With all this talk of goals, I’m making my goal for this week to drop below 200. If you had some goals that you haven’t reached yet, I’d encourage you to continue the path and make sure that your choices are directing you that route. If you don’t have any goals, well its time to get some.